THE INDIRECT PRACTICE OF INEQUALITY FOR WOMEN IN HONORIFIC TITLES SUCH AS MR, MISS AND MRS.
5 min readBy Amer Mayen Dhieu, Australia.
There are certain areas we don’t often look at when one thought about fighting global inequality This often overshadows other common practices use indirectly against women. Such small hole left undone by women right activists forecast continuation of indirect abuse of names and titles that are in particular socially associated with women.
Every time I receives a letter or want to fill in professional form, there is one question that crash my understanding and that is the question of honorific titles. Predominantly the first section of any form start with personal details should it be a flight ticket or other professional documents.
This first section include your title with optional answers to choose from. A person filling the form is optionally ask to circle “Miss” (if she is unmarried woman or a divorce woman), ‘Ms” (that I thought was for widow and obviously what I circle if I am filling my Mom’s form), “Mrs” that is for happily married woman or whatever that is and then “Mr” that is for all men whether married, single or divorce.
Over the period of time I feel disturbed by the unwilling exposure of my marital status and why do I have to be define or known base on this status. Another thing I was concern about is why only women are ask to differentiate themselves whether they are married, divorce or single when their male counterparts are not.
Generally, there are three things I was curious to know; whether “ms” that I circle for my mom is the correct title, two was why do men have only one title and women with three honorific tittles and third was why do I need to state my marital status to unknown recipient of the form when it got nothing to do with whatever requires in the form or what the form is intended for?
These three questions remained unanswered until today when I was curios to know the philosophy behind this unfair titles. As I type my keyword, I was directed to this page that caught my attention. All my whats, whys, hows and whens were answered by one single woman; a feminist known as Sheila Michaels.
Femininely In 1961, Sheila Michaels saw “what she thought was a typo error in a letter send to her friend”. That word was “miss” used in the letter to address her friend. It is funny how my today’s thought are similar to hers when I never read anything about this fantastic lady. Just like I see it, Sheila thinks it is wrong to address women with different titles rather using one title just like how men are address.
Although her objective is to have one title, I found myself doubting the completion of her argument. To me it is not just about having one title but also about use of different tittles to represent women with different marital status, something I called exploitation of women’s right to privacies and confidentiality as well as indirect practice of equality for women in honorific titles.
My argument is that generally since the words are linguistically approved to be use professionally and privately, I found something disturbing especially when I have to let the reader of my form or letter know whether I am single, divorce or married when my husband, ex or boyfriend is not ask to expose his marital status.
There are certain round a woman feel a desire to share her marital status with her audience especially in social media but that is her absolute choice unlike what they ask women in the form. The marital status question in the form does not only give women who are interested to share their marital status a chance but it also “force” women who doesn’t like to share their status to forceful do so. How absurd?
In her search for one honorific title for all women, Sheila come up with “MS” to be use generally for all women. Something that took a decade to be professionally recognise in English language. Until today regardless of the concession of “ms” women are still being ask to classify themselves base on their marital status and they innocently do so without knowing or feel offended.
“Ms” is currently use and legally accepted in our contemporary era, however, it is only put as an option for women to choose whether to use it or not. Something that is not applicable to male type.
Similarly, women are facing stills differentiation of such kind unlike men. Not only did such unequal naming stays in marital status but it has also influenced other social aspect. For instance women who are practicing pornography are called “prostitutes” while men who are doing the same profession are called “men”still. Other names includes, bitches, whores and sluts apparently they are in particularly associated with women but not men who do exactly the same practice.
In summary, not only does use of “miss and mrs” subject women to indirect practice of inequality, unwilling exposure of women’s private life or marital status but it also gives women false belief that marriage is a natural thing that grant them honorific title which carries more weight than the other.
As a woman, It was a pleasure to find out that “MS” is not particularly for widows but is generally for women which resemble “MR” for all men. In Sheila Michaels’ honour I am from today onward taking “MS” as my honorific title for it makes me feel safe, secure and professionally address in a way that is equal to men. In short it justify that women and men are equal in humanity and should be given same treatment in honorific titles.
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